A candidate for Mayor of Chicago in the 2015 election,[2] Garcia finished second in the February 24 general election and forced a head-to-head runoff vote between himself and incumbent Rahm Emanuel. Garcia was defeated in the April 7 runoff by Emanuel.

Garcia was first elected to the Chicago City Council in 1986, and in 1992 became the first Mexican-American member of the Illinois State Senate. In 2010, Garcia won election to the 7th district of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, and after his election was appointed floor leader by Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle.[2][3] He won a seat in the U.S. House in the 2018 election, replacing retiring Representative Luis Gutiérrez.

In 1983, García was the campaign manager for labor organizer Rudy Lozano, who challenged longtime alderman Frank Stemberk of the 22nd Ward.[9] In the February 1983 election, Lozano came 17 votes short of forcing a runoff, which his supporters contended was due to voters with Spanish surnames being purged from the rolls, denying him the votes to force a runoff.[9] Lozano was murdered in June 1983, shot to death in his home. A reputed gang member was convicted of Lozano's murder, but his supporters still contend that he was assassinated for his labor and political activities.[9] In 1984, García challenged Stemberk for his place as a Committeeman in the Cook County Democratic Party. Supporters of Lozano rallied around him and he received the endorsement of Mayor Harold Washington.[9] Stemberk was a supporter of alderman Edward Vrdolyak of the 10th Ward, who controlled the City Council and opposed Mayor Washington's administration. This divide within city government was dubbed the "Council Wars" by the Chicago media. With Lozano supporters taking to the race with a "religious fervour" and Washington campaigning heavily on García's behalf, he defeated Stemberk by 2,811 votes (40.62%) to 2,752 (39.77%), with activist and former labor union leader August Sallas taking 1,357 (19.61%).[9] Unlike other committeemen and women, García used his office to provide constituent services, which helped him maintain his high-profile.[9] García was also appointed Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Water by Washington, a post he held from 1984 to 1986.[9]

García in November 2014

Meanwhile, Washington's allies had sued the city in federal court, claiming that the ward map drawn up after the 1980 Census had unfairly dispersed black and Hispanic voters. At that time, whites were about 40% of the city's population, blacks were also about 40%, and Hispanics were about 15%, but there were 33 white aldermen, only 16 blacks and just 1 Hispanic. In December 1985, as a result of a November 1985 ward remap, judge Charles Ronald Norgle Sr. of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois ordered a special election for March 18, 1986 in seven wards, including the 22nd.[9] The special elections gave Washington the opportunity to wrest control of the city council from Vrdolyak.[9] Stemberk chose not to run for re-election and García declared his candidacy.[9] In the nonpartisan election, García faced supermarket owner and Stemberk ally Guadalupe Martinez and beauty supply store owner Fred Yanez.[9] Yanez emphasised his military service and Martinez called García "100 percent Communist" and criticised him for selling garbage cans, which Martinez gave away for free.[9] García won by 3,293 votes (54.58%) to Martinez' 2,013 (33.37%) and Yanez' 727 (12.05%),[10] carrying 26 of the 27 precincts.[9] García was also re-elected Committeeman with 53.98% of the vote, carrying 24 of the 27 precincts.[9] His election and the victory of two other Washington supporters meant that Vrdolyak's supporters had a one-seat majority. Six weeks later, Washington ally Luis Gutiérrez won a runoff in the 26th Ward and the council was thus evenly split between Washington and Vrdolyak supporters. Washington had the ability to cast tie-breaking votes, Vrdolyak was stripped of his powers and the Council Wars ended.[9] García was re-elected with 3,998 votes (53.59%) in 1987[11] and with 2,707 votes (52.36%) in 1991.[12] On the council, he served on the Budget and Government Operations; Committees, Rules, Municipal Code Revision and Ethics; Economic Development; Education; Finance; License; Ports, Wharves, and Bridges; Streets and Alleys; Traffic Control and Safety committees and chaired the Aviation committee.[9]

Democratic State Senator Howard W. "Howie" Carroll of the 1st District of the Illinois Senate was redistricted to the 8th District, and in 1992 García ran for the Illinois Senate in the 1st district, winning the open-seat Democratic primary with 8,604 votes (52.06%) to Donald C. Smith's 6,159 (37.26%) and Gilbert G. Jimenez's 1,765 (10.68%).[13] The primary was tantamount to election in the heavily Democratic 1st District and in the general election, and García defeated Republican nominee Esequiel "Zeke" Iracheta by 21,314 votes (81.74%) to 4,762 (18.26%). García was the first Illinois State Senator of Mexican descent.[14] García resigned from the City Council and was succeeded by his protégé Ricardo Muñoz.

In the 1996 Democratic primary, he was challenged by Alderman Juan Soliz of the 25th Ward. Soliz, who had also been elected in the March 1986 special elections, had been supported by Vrdolyak, earning him the ire of Chicago Hispanics. When Soliz was elected, he called for unity among Hispanic aldermen, a plea which they ignored.[9] Soliz and García even celebrated their inaugurations by hiring separate Mariachi bands to play outside the council chambers.[9] After Soliz was replaced as Chairman of the Aviation Committee by García, he derided it as a "racist move", though they were both Mexican-Americans.[9] García defeated Soliz by 6,839 votes (59.34%) to 4,686 (40.66%).[15] García was re-elected unopposed in the general election.[16] In office, García helped shepherd "immigrant-friendly" health care and education reforms through the legislature.[6] García was defeated in the 1998 Democratic primary election by Antonio Munoz, who was backed by the Hispanic Democratic Organization, Mayor Richard M. Daley's campaign group and political machine. Munoz defeated García by 6,924 votes (53.72%) to 5,964 (46.28%).[17] Alderman Ricardo Muñoz (no relation to Antonio Munoz), talking in 2010 about his mentor's defeat, said: "Part of the rationale that I think Chuy lost in '98 was that we got sloppy and they [Munoz and the HDO] got lucky. It rained all day, and we didn't have raincoats for our guys until 11 o'clock. By that time, they were frozen stiff. So we lost the field game."[18]

After his defeat, García left office in January 1999, founded and became Executive Director of the Little Village Community Development Corporation. He helped grow what is now known as Enlace to 27 full-time employees, 120 part-time employees and an annual budget of $5 million.[19] In June 2005, he helped found the Latino Action Research Network, a PAC to help better represent the city's Latino population.[20]

On Mother's Day 2001, Garcia and members of the group demanded the construction of a high school promised to the community, but unfunded. 14 parents and grandparents organized a hunger strike. While Paul Vallas, the CEO of Chicago Public Schools, initially refused to meet with the hunger strikers, by the end of the first week, he visited their tent to negotiate terms.[21] The hunger strike lasted 19 days and increased public pressure on the school district to fund the project. In August 2001, the newly appointed CEO of Chicago Public Schools, Arne Duncan, reallocated funds to begin construction on the school.[21] Community members continued to advocate for participation in designing the new school, and door-to-door parent surveys contributed to the curricular focus of each school on the campus.[22]

In 2010, García ran for the Cook County Board of Commissioners, challenging 7th District member and HDO candidate Joseph Mario Moreno in the Democratic primary. García defeated him by 9,602 votes (54.74%) to 7,939 (45.26%).[23] In the general election, he faced Green Party nominee Paloma M. Andrade and defeated her by 24,612 votes (86.29%) to 3,912 (13.72%).[24] After the election, Toni Preckwinkle appointed Garcia Floor Leader. García was re-elected unopposed to a second term on the Board of Commissioners in the 2014 elections.[25]

Garcia entered the mayoral race against incumbent mayor Rahm Emanuel after being recruited by Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis, a leading progressive candidate who had fallen ill and was forced to call off her own campaign.[26] Garcia won 34% of the vote in the February 24, 2015 mayoral primary, and Emanuel failed to win more than 50% of the vote, thus forcing a run-off election between the two on April 7, 2015.[27] The campaign received national attention and was considered by some as a preview of the upcoming Democratic Primary for the 2016 Presidential Election. Senator Bernie Sanders endorsed Garcia in what he called a, "political revolution in Chicago." [28] Emanuel won the runoff election with 55% of the vote.[29] Garcia opposes the Ashland Bus Rapid Transit plan,[30] the Belmont flyover,[31] and red light cameras.[32]

After incumbent and formal rival Rahm Emanuel announced that he will not seek a third term in 2019, many people speculated of a high ranking Latino politician to enter the race. Congressman Gutierrez and García were seen as potential candidates. After Gutierrez declined to run, he expressed his intent to draft García into the race.[33][34] Senator Bernie Sanders expressed his desire for Garcia to "take a look for running for Mayor".[35]

On November 27, 2017, just 6 days before the final day to file petitions to run for the office, Congressman Luis Gutierrez pulled his petition for re-election in the 2018 race, effectively choosing to retire at the conclusion of his current term.[36] The next day Garcia signaled his intention to run for the position. During Gutierrez's press conference, he endorsed García for the position.[37] The next day, Senator Bernie Sanders endorsed García.[5]

García won the Democratic nomination in March 2018 after winning 60% of the primary votes.[38] He won against financial adviser Mark Wayne Lorch on the November 6th general elections.[39]